One Tough Assignment
by Moonraven
Summary: Heero and Duo are sent to a resort island to retrieve some important documents...


**Summary:** Heero + Duo + Tropical island = insanity  
 **Warning:** M/M relationship  
 **Pairing:** 1x2 and a touch of 3x4  
 **Note:** Follow up of Acquired Tasted

"Are you telling me that the former Queen of the World has naughty pictures floating around somewhere?" Duo asked, trying to suppress the icky shivers that just ran up his spine. The thought of Relena doing the deed was just… well, ick.

Quatre gave him a tight smile, and Duo just knew that the man was trying not to laugh himself. But before the blond could speak, Trowa corrected him, " _Compromising situation_ , Duo. Naughty has not been confirmed."

"And let's hope they are not floating around somewhere," Quatre said, "or this assignment will be much more challenging than it currently is."

Duo looked around Quatre's boardroom at his three friends, all of them trying very hard to be solemn – with the exception of Heero. Heero didn't have to try at all, and no matter how funny Duo thought any situation was, Heero had never really caught on.

"So… Une is telling us to… what? Find the pictures?" Duo looked around again. "Preventers has a division for just these types of things. _We_ ," he motioned between Heero and himself, "go after hardcore stuff, not hunt for pictures."

Quatre nodded. "I'm well aware of that, Duo. The request comes from Milliardo Peacecraft, not Lady Une, although she did approve it. And the request is for _you_ to retrieve them, not Preventers." Quatre stopped, looking like he expected some objections at this point. When none came, only an opened jaw from Duo and a healthy glare from Heero, he continued, "Only a handful of people know about this, gentlemen. Discretion is of utmost importance; no one else must know about those pictures."

Duo frowned, not liking where this was going. "Yeah, but at a lover's retreat?" He glanced sideways at Heero, who was looking over the aerial map of said retreat with his usual focused intensity. He looked back to Quatre and Trowa. "Why can't _you_ guys do it? Wouldn't it be more appropriate since you just went public and all with your… you know…." he waved his hand airily between his two friends.

"Handfasting," Trowa supplied smoothly, earning a brilliant smile from Quatre.

"Yeah, that. Kind of ancient but it fits you guys, somehow," Duo told them with a smile of his own. "So… your honeymoon will be perfect for the retreat."

"Sorry, I have board meetings and trade conferences in several colonies that I can't possibly get out off," Quatre said, shaking his head a little too vigorously. "That's why Trowa is taking time off from the circus to travel with me." He paused to smile at his partner. "My time between the meetings is all we have for now."

Trowa reached over to cover Quatre's hand with his own. "I can wait, Quat. We have the rest of our lives, remember?"

Duo rolled his eyes and looked away. While he couldn't be happier for them, he and Cathy _were_ responsible for getting them together, he just wasn't sure he could handle the sap when his own unrequited love sat just a few feet away. He glanced at Heero again and this time found the man's blues eyes staring right back.

Damn! He could just feel himself blushing.

For the first time since they had started the meeting, Heero spoke. "Most people know who I am. I'm seen too often guarding Relena. This could be a problem if they suspect the truth."

Before Duo could jump up to congratulate Heero for his brilliance, Quatre smiled what he considered an altogether evil smile.

"Zechs took care of that," Quatre said, using the more familiar name of Relena's brother. "The retreat belongs to Gorben Keen, who is suspected of having Relena's pictures in his prized collection at his villa on the island. Zechs is well acquainted with him since Keen serves as council member on several of his projects. He casually mentioned that you two just got married and are looking for a nice place to spend your honeymoon. Keen, who was always kissing up to Zechs, quickly offered a bungalow on his island."

Duo was just about to take a sip of his soda but managed to nearly drop the can instead. He looked skeptically at Heero, and then turned to Quatre incredulously. "Dude, who's going to believe that _this guy_ is on his honeymoon?"

Trowa smirked. "Heero has never failed in any of his assignments yet. Have some faith, Duo."

Duo was tempted to stick his tongue out at the tall brunet… oh what the hell. He blew Trowa a very satisfactory raspberry and got a death glare from Heero for his effort.

"An expense account has been set up for you," Quatre continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. Only a small smile at the corner of his mouth indicated that he wasn't as serious as he sounded. "A new wardrobe for Heero has also been selected and is waiting for you in the lobby. You can pick it up on the way–"

"What new wardrobe?" Heero asked, frowning.

Quatre smiled, looking composed. Duo had to give it to him since he didn't know too many people who could stay calm when faced with Heero's death glare.

"You're going to a tropical island, Heero," Quatre stated simply. "As your long time friend, I know you don't own a single thing resembling 'beach casual'. And while I'm sure you can select your own 'gear,' you have three hours to get to the airport. Do you have enough time to shop?"

"What? Tank top and spandex don't count?" Duo asked, sending both Trowa and Quatre into a coughing fit.

Heero scowled at him. "What about Duo?"

Trowa snorted behind his hand. Quatre's attempt at a straight face failed miserable and he let slip a small laugh.

"I've seen Duo's clothes. He'd fit in perfectly on the sandy beaches of Sand Piper Resort."

Heero didn't look convinced, but before he could say anymore, Quatre continued his briefing. "The cover story for your er… romance is in this folder." The blond passed it over and hurriedly continued, "Paperwork to make your marriage legitimate has been drawn, so if anyone started digging, they'll see that you are legally married."

Crap! Duo dropped his head on the table to hide the blush he _knew_ was visible once again. As much as he loved Heero, this was not how he had imagined getting hitched to the man. He groaned out loud, making Trowa chuckle softly.

"If you're worried about your reputation with the ladies, I'm sure they will clear your names as soon as the mission is completed," Trowa, the evil clown, told him.

"Most definitely," his wicked partner chimed in.

Duo was beginning to regret the day he and Cathy brought these two together.

.*.*.

"Heero." He poked the perfect soldier in the ribs. The man turned to glare at him. Duo sighed. "Dude, you cannot threaten to kill me while we're here, okay? I mean, we just got married, man, give it 40 years and _then_ make threats."

Heero looked almost amused. "Forty years. It would be a challenge for anyone to stay married to you for 40 hours."

"Hah! I'll have you know that many people find me adorable and fun to be with!"

Heero studied him for a few moments, making Duo shift uncomfortably as they stood to the side waiting for their luggage to be loaded onto the resort Jeep. "What?" he asked defensively.

"Nothing." Heero shrugged and nudged Duo towards the vehicle.

Before Duo could say, _"_ _Nothing, my ass!"_ Heero took a hold of his hand and gently pushed him up onto the Jeep. Duo was speechless. Heero being gentle was a shock in itself, but the handholding thing? He looked down at their linked hands again and nearly swallowed his tongue. Oh my god.

After settling down next to him in their seat, Heero leaned in close. Duo froze, holding his breath. "And you were worried about _me_ not being able to pull this off?" Heero whispered in his ear. Duo would have thrown a fit had they been alone in the car. The driver gave their entwined hands a discreet smile before hopping on and starting the vehicle.

Duo fumed. Heero's comments would not be the end of this. He would not be outdone by the perfect soldier. He, after all, was the perfect lover – or so he was told on several occasions… okay, twice and both time the guys were pretty drunk… but he was told, dammit! He would show Heero.

"Is everything okay back there?" the driver asked without turning around.

"Everything's fine, thanks," Heero replied politely before Duo could answer. "Just jet lagged."

Heero was smooth, but Duo refused to be outdone by a man whose idea of a good time was to take a date to the armory (he knew because he had shadowed Heero on said date). He moved closer and pulled Heero's arm around his shoulder. He then snuggled against him and rested his head on the other man's broad shoulder.

" _Now_ everything is perfect, thanks," he cheerfully told the driver, who laughed and gave them a mock solute. He tilted his head back slightly and daringly looked up at his friend. Heero was looking down at him with definite glints in his cobalt blues. Duo wasn't sure if he should be excited or afraid; not many people knew this side of Heero. The man was very competitive, and losing had never been an option. Now that they were really getting into their roles, Duo really wasn't sure if his heart would survive this mission.

"Your bungalow is quite cozy," the driver was saying. "It's tucked away in the middle of a patch of large palm trees, and the back patio opens right onto the beach. You'll love it."

Duo was only partly listening. As Heero carried on the conversation with the driver, his attention was mostly focused on the way his "husband's" arm curled around him and how strong and warm the man was. Heero smelled good, too. Even after several long hours on the plane, the aftershave still lingered lightly around Heero's jaw and neck.

Normally, Duo would be one of the first people to scold any new recruits for not being alert during missions, but this time he almost felt detached. Although this one had been classified as low risk, he knew that all missions were critical and that he had to be vigilant. Duo sneaked another glance up at Heero and surreptitiously watched him from underneath his lashes. His heart skipped a beat and Duo quickly closed his eyes. Damn. After so many years, Heero's face could still do that to him.

The Jeep slowed and then came to a stop in front of a narrow brick path leading to a white and blue bungalow. All around the little structure were palm trees of various sizes, some with green coconuts clinging to the tops. While he was still gaping at the breathtaking scenery, the driver hopped off and went to the back for their bags. Heero disengaged his arm from around his shoulder but kept their hands linked; keeping Duo in the haze he had been in ever since the other man had taken his hand earlier.

"Wow, this is gorgeous," Duo said, looking around after they'd gotten off the Jeep. He could see other bungalows around, but they were far enough away from each other to have their own privacy.

"Knew you'd like it," the driver said without pausing as he unloaded their luggage. "The bungalows on this side of the island get the best beaches; water so clear and calm you'll think you're in your bathtub, and these trees here keep away most of the stronger winds."

The trepidation he had had about this mission were dissipating with the gentle breeze. He smiled at Heero and then looked down pointedly at their clasped hands. He looked back to raise one eyebrow teasingly.

Heero didn't even blink as he tightened his hold to an almost painful grip. Then he let go with a small smirk. Heero turned to say something to the driver, and Duo took this opportunity to look around. Rubbing at his bruised hand, he rushed down the path, passed their bungalow towards the sounds of surf and sand.

It really was beautiful. The nearly deserted beach stretched out on either side of him, the sand nearly white. Duo saw couples walking on the beach or playing in the sea, but on that long stretch of land he might as well have been alone. He walked towards the water, noting the way it lapped gently at the sand. It was so different from the beaches he frequented when he went surfing. The fun to be had here was completely different, and the men he'd seen a little ways down the beach attested to that. He sighed, wishing that he and Heero were here under other circumstances entirely. Looking back towards their bungalow, he saw Heero standing on the back porch, hands on hips, watching him.

Duo waved and took this opportunity to study (okay, drool) over Heero. The man had grown tall. At one point Duo had been taller, but Heero caught up and was now an inch taller than him.

As Duo came closer, he had to hide a smile. Heero looked different in cargo shorts and the Hawaiian shirt. He looked damn good though, especially since the shirt was the same shade as his eyes.

"You tipped the driver?" Duo asked as he walked up the two steps it took to get to the porch.

"Yes, dear." Heero smirked at him again. Duo had a love/hate relationship with Heero's smirks. He loved that the man looked so freaking good with it but he hated the way it made him feel like Heero was laughing at him.

Duo stuck his tongue out at the man. "You're enjoying this way too much, it's unnatural. Heero Yui having fun is going to cause a natural disaster of enormous proportions somewhere – and I seriously hope it won't be here."

That infernal smirk was back, and Duo resisted the urge to kiss it away…. Eek! That was not a good thought. Okay, so it _was_ a very good thought, but not when he couldn't do anything about it. He wondered briefly how Heero would kill him if he really tried kissing the man….

To keep his mind away from the various ways that Heero would send him to his maker, Duo said, "Let's unpack and mingle, shall we?"

Heero's frown returned. Heh, the man really had issues with "mingling." Aha! Payback time! Duo was going to enjoy this. Mr. Smooth was going down!

.*.*.*

"Flirting?" Heero looked momentarily confused, and then the perfect soldier wiped that clean off with a scowl. "How was I flirting?"

Duo scowled back but did not stop towing Heero away from the drink hut on the beach. When they were a good distance away from the obnoxious little bartending minx in the red Speedo, Duo stopped and glared at the seemingly innocent man. "He was flirting, and you! You flirted back!"

Confusion threatened to leak into Heero's scowl and Duo had to admire the man – Heero was good at the not-show-weakness thing. Had Duo been anyone else, he would never know that Heero was mentally searching every single thing he and the bartender had said and done to make Duo come to this conclusion. "He asked if I wanted a red or green umbrella… I chose green. _That_ was flirting?"

Duo smacked a palm to his forehead, groaning. "Dude! We went over this Dating 101 thing a few years back, remember? You don't tell a guy who's trying to pick you up 'green!' You're practically telling him that you're free and to pick a time!"

Heero's frown deepened and he smacked _his_ palm to the back of Duo's head.

"Idiot!" Heero pulled Duo against him and hissed into his ear. "First of all, your Dating 101 did _not_ cover the color of umbrellas in cocktail drinks. And if I remember correctly, all you and Quatre did was gave me a list of things I _cannot_ do with Stacy, which, incidentally, I don't believe constitutes dating instructions."

"Stacy?" Duo squeaked, looking into Heero's blue eyes. "Since when did you start using a girl's first name?"

"Since I dated said girl."

"Dated? You went out with her like once! That isn't dating–" Duo stopped when Heero looked away. He took a step back and stared at his friend. "You went out with her more that once?"

Heero shrugged, his eyes on the people in the water.

"You never told us. I thought…." The hurt was replaced by anger when he thought of all the times Heero had been sneaking behind his back on dates. He smacked Heero hard on the arm – nearly breaking his hand in the process – and turned the man to face him. "Why didn't you tell us? Here Quat and I thought it must have been a total failure because we never saw you with anyone else again. We actually felt bad for you, man! You should have said something!"

Heero did not have the grace to look ashamed. He narrowed his eyes and stared right back. "So both of you could follow me around again?"

Eh? Duo froze, thinking hard. Heero knew?

"Yes, I knew," Heero said.

Duo's jaw dropped. Was the man reading his mind?

Heero rolled his eyes and continued, "Why do you think Une never send you and Quatre together to do recon or infiltration?"

Duo pursed his lips. He really should be angry at that statement…. He was good at those things, dammit!

"Yes, independently. I said 'together.'"

"Stop reading my mind, Yui!"

"That isn't possible; I read your expressions, Maxwell."

"Trouble in paradise, gentlemen?" a voice cut in, and Duo turned to growl at the newcomer. He had to swallow it back in a hurry though, since he turned out to be Gorben Keen, their host.

"I'd hate to think that coming here has caused a rift between newlyweds," the tall councilman said, looking genuinely concerned. Aside from the fact that Keen was very rich, Duo could well understand why he had two very young and attractive women clinging to his arms as well as a few more clustering around him. The man still looked good at 58, with a lean physique, dark blue eyes and dark hair lightly speckled with grey. The red and blue parrot print Hawaiian shirt and dark blue swimming trunks complimented his eyes very well.

"It's a habit," Duo said with a grin. "Heero and I have been bickering for years. Getting married doesn't change anything."

"Yes, you're still an idiot, married or not," Heero added, but Duo detected a note of affection in the man's voice. He briefly wondered if that was for Keen's benefit, and then decided that it must have been; for Keen laughed, nodding his head in agreement.

"Since you've know each other for so long and still decided to get married, it must be for all the little quirks as well."

"Yeah, but in Heero's case, most of his quirks are far from little."

Keen laughed again. "I supposed you _would_ know that very well, right Mr. Maxwell?"

Duo felt heat rising to his face. Somehow his jibe at Heero's shortcomings had been turned on him, and he hid his face, unwilling for Heero to see his blush.

To his surprise, he felt Heero's hand on his head, ruffling his bangs gently. He looked up and found deep blue eyes twinkling merrily at him. What was wrong with this picture? Heero twinkling? Was the world spinning in the right direction? Then the hand was gone but Duo could feel it trailing the length of his braid. He looked down and found that Heero had wrapped the end of it around his hand. Duo looked from the hand to Heero's face, wondering when the perfect soldier had turned into the perfect actor.

"I believe he does know quite well, sir," Heero said mildly.

"Wonderful!" Keen said. "You must come to dinner at my villa tonight. I'll have the chef prepare something special to celebrate the occasion."

"Thank you, sir," Heero replied politely, and before he could continue, Duo added, "Would tomorrow night be alright?"

Heero gave him an inquiring look, which he returned with a sheepish one. "Aw… come on, Heero. I want you to myself on at least our first night here. I don't want to share you just yet." That hadn't been a lie. Not in the least. He wasn't sure he wanted this assignment to be completed just yet. The opportunity to get Heero to be romantic with him did not present itself very often – hell, not at all. He certainly would like to drag it out for as long as he could. Besides, it would never do if their host didn't believe that they were on a romantic getaway. And judging by the squealing and cooing from Keen's girls, Duo knew that had been the right thing to say.

Heero blinked twice and then smiled, catching on to what would be critical for the mission. Tugging gently on Duo's braid, Heero pulled a Trowa on him. "Silly. We have the rest of our lives together, don't we?"

Oh crap. Even though Duo knew that Heero was acting, he couldn't stop his heart from going pitter-patter.

Keen smiled while his girls continued to giggle at the sap. "I understand completely, Mr. Maxwell. How about Wednesday night? That would give you two whole nights to monopolize him."

Duo grinned and gave Keen a deep bow. "Thank you, sir!"

With a cheerful wave, Keen and his entourage walked off, leaving Heero and him alone.

Heero turned and arched an eyebrow at him. "Laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?"

He snorted, happy that Heero didn't require any explanations. "We're in a place that celebrates that sappy mush, Yui! There's no such thing as 'too thick.' Didn't you see their reactions? Besides, this is like a paid vacation!" he added with a wink. "How often do we get paid for having fun? Play a little, will ya?"

Duo laughed at Heero's expression; the man looked like he would choke on his tongue at the thought of having fun on company time. As much as Heero had changed over the years, he guessed that there were things that the man still found difficult to overcome. Duo was fine with that. His mission after the war had been to "humanize" Heero, to make sure he was exposed to more fun. This just meant that he still had some work to do and would have to stick around his friend more, that was all.

Oh yeah… he was completely fine with that alright.

.*.*.*

Two whole days (and nights) of alone time with Heero might just be a bit too much for Duo. After just the first day, he was already beginning to fray around the edges. The night was especially difficult since they had to sleep on the same bed. Although it was a king size, it still wasn't big enough for Duo. He'd always known that he was a snuggler, and the various times that he had slept with Heero during their missions he had always wound up against the man when they woke. Heero had shoved him away (rather violently) a few times in the beginning but had long since given up. The man was good about ignoring what he'd considered a nuisance – if he couldn't kill it, of course. And yes, that was what Heero had called him.

Imagine being in love with someone like that.

And even though there was a large sofa in the other room, they could not risk using it. Their cover had to be complete. Well… as complete as possible. He had thought about doing so much more, especially when the sounds from the next bungalow reached them last night. That "voices carry" thing must be especially potent on tropical islands, since the bungalows were roughly 150 to 200 feet apart.

He had jokingly asked if Heero would be interested in competing with their neighbor. A silent blank look was his only answer. Sometimes he wondered if Heero was really that clueless or if the man really hated him. Duo hoped it was the clueless thing.

Speaking of clueless, why wasn't Heero clueless all the time? What was that thing with Duo's braid, and the twinkling and the handholding? Where did Heero learn all that? When had he learned all that? Was it when the man was sneaking behind their backs dating Stacy? And was Stacy the only one he dated?

Duo gave a suspicious sidelong glance at his friend, who was currently engaged in another non-clueless activity – being attentive and getting Duo a drink (which he promised to exclude all umbrellas regardless of color, to which Duo replied with a "HAH!").

True to his words, Heero arrived with two bottles of beer san umbrellas. Duo squinted up at him from his beach lounge and grinned. "Aw, you're cheating, Heero. Who puts umbrellas in beer bottles?"

"You'd be surprised," Heero commented dryly as he handed one to Duo and settled down in the lounge chair next to him.

"Eh?" Duo twisted around and peered at the drink hut, and then back at Heero. "Don't tell me someone actually asked you if you wanted an umbrella?"

Heero shrugged and took a long drink from his beer. Duo shuddered and looked away quickly, downing his own drink. He was going to need it. The way Heero's throat worked as he swallowed…. Of course, that was a totally wrong thing to think about when drinking quickly. He promptly choked on his drink and sputtered rather unbecomingly all over the place.

Heero thumped him helpfully a few times on the back as he tried to get the rest of the liquid out of his lungs. Geez… that was sooo not cool!

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Duo managed to wheeze out. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Heero asked. "I don't think you slept much last night either."

Duo would have choked again had he been drinking. "I slept fine, Heero." He was very tempted to say that had Heero done his "husbandly duties," he would have slept so much better… but he still valued his life so Duo kept that to himself.

Heero snorted and drained his beer, apparently unconvinced. Duo forced his eyes away from the lips that were molesting the beer bottle. Okay, so the man was just drinking, but Duo was horny, dammit! He had a one track mind and currently that track was leading to a scenario involving Heero molesting _him_! And of course, his treacherous eyes found something else to ogle – the smooth planes of Heero's chest and stomach. So not helping! And even though he had seen a near naked Heero many times before due to various work conditions over the six years that they had known each other, that didn't mean that it became any easier. His pants got just that much tighter every time.

Next to him he heard Heero sigh, and then the man reached over and snatched his beer bottle away. Duo looked at him in surprised as Heero scrutinized the near empty bottle. His friend frowned and shook his head at Duo.

"Every time you drink too fast you get horny. Why don't you learn?"

Duo opened his mouth but no response came out. He what? How? Huh?

Heero rolled his eyes and put the bottles in the sand on the other side of his lounge chair. Duo was still speechless. How the hell? Where the hell did that come from?

"Don't tell me you hadn't noticed?" Heero asked, not looking at him. He was now lying on his back with his sunglasses on, in all appearances getting a suntan.

Well… no, Duo hadn't really noticed. He just figured it was his hormones. And Heero. Heero definitely had a lot to do with most of his hard-on. But instead of addressing that, Duo sputtered, "What makes you think I'm horny?"

Heero turned towards him and tilted his sunglasses up, looking pointedly at Duo's groin. Duo made an indignant noise and drew his knees up slightly to hide the telltale bulge. "Dude!"

Heero smirked and turned back to his tanning, leaving Duo to stare at him in astonishment. He was beginning to hate that smirk. No, wait. He already hated that smirk and wanted to wipe it off that arrogant face.

"It is so not okay to go around checking another guy's package, especially when you're straight, Yui!"

"I wasn't checking out your 'package.'" Heero sounded amused. "I'm simply stating a fact and pointing out the supporting evidence."

"A fact you wouldn't know if you hadn't looked!" Duo glanced around quickly to see if their conversation was getting too loud. A few people around them seemed engrossed in their own business, although a few passing by did give them curious looks. He dragged his chair closer to Heero and lowered his voice. "How did you come to notice that… well, 'fact' anyway?"

Heero sighed. "The first time was on board Howard's ship not long after we've first me met. You and one of the crew had some kind of a drinking contest. Howard refused to let you drink more than one beer since you were underage, so you went with speed." Heero paused, recalling. "The other guy finished his when you'd had about three quarters of yours, but even then you were already flushed and your pupils were dilated."

"You saw all that?" Duo was amazed since Heero was clear across the room, adamant to stay anti-social.

"Of course." Heero sounded slightly irritated that his more than perfect vision should be questioned. "Do you want me to continue or not?"

"Yes! Sorry!" Duo gave him a mock bow.

"I was surprised that you were already intoxicated, but your speech pattern and your motor skills were intact so I decided to observe you." Heero shrugged. "That's when I noticed you weren't drunk but clearly aroused."

Duo's face flamed as he recalled what he had done right after the drinking contest. He swallowed and looked down at his feet, half buried in the sand. "Did you…" Duo paused, not sure he wanted to know if Heero had followed him out of the room. He certainly didn't want to know if Heero had seen him jerking off on deck. When his friend didn't reply after a long pause, he looked up to see Heero watching him. His face suddenly felt about 100 degrees hotter than it had been.

"No, I didn't follow you when you left," Heero told him before turning away again. "My leg was still recovering, and since I had a pretty good idea of what you would be doing…" Heero trailed off with a small shrug. "After that, every time you drank, I observed you and found that 'little fact.'"

Oh gods… this was so embarrassing! Why hadn't someone shot him already?

"I need a drink," Duo muttered under his breath. If he was drunk, maybe it would explain this hallucination he was having.

"No, you don't," Heero said quietly. "You still haven't gotten rid of the effects of your last drink."

"Well, maybe I need another effect, Yui!" Duo growled. "You know, the one where I'd be completely smashed so I can forget this entire conversation? AGH!" He grabbed his head, groaning. "You never said anything. Do you know how many times I was in that condition when you were around? Do you know how embarrassing this is?"

"Why?" Heero asked, sounding genuinely curious. "That particular physical reaction to alcohol is not uncommon."

"Yeah but it's just the thought of you _knowing_ that I was walking around with a boner… and… and…" And what he did to get rid of it.

"Relax, Duo. How you took care of it was standard procedure."

"Standard procedure, huh?" Duo lifted his head to stare at his friend. Heero talked about masturbation as if it was a Preventers protocol. "If that's so, how come I never saw you do it? Hell, I never saw you with a boner, either."

"I have a much better control of my body than you do. It's all in your head." Heero tapped his temple a couple of times.

"Bullshit!" Duo protested. "I don't know about you, Heero, but my hard-on is pretty much in my dick."

Heero laughed, irritating Duo even more. "You know, I'm sorely tempted to poke your little Heero to see if he's alive."

The big Heero turned and regarded him from over the rim of his sunglasses; his eyes seemed more intense than usual. "Believe me," he said quietly, "he's quite alive."

That look… and that tone of voice… oh, gods. Duo felt himself harden even more. This was so not good. He shot up from his chair and pointed to the water. "I'm gonna… go swim," he explained quickly as he left at a run. Shit! What the hell was Heero doing to him? If he didn't know better, he would say that the man was doing all this on purpose. But he did know better… right?

As he splashed into the water, he felt it cool somewhat against his heated skin but not nearly enough. He stopped just as the water reached passed his waist and took several deep breaths. He really had to get himself together. How long had he longed for Heero? This was no different than any other mission where he had to be in close proximity with the man for long periods of time… but those missions were usually dangerous and didn't give him any leisure time to think much about how hot Heero really was. Damn it. He had to go and think about _that_ again! He glared down at his stubborn erection and tried to will it away. Heero did say it was all in the mind….

"Duo."

"Gah!" Duo jumped and whirled around to face the cause of all his problems. Alright, to be fair, the man really wasn't the cause of _all_ his problems. Just most of them.

"Do _not_ sneak up on me like that!" he snapped.

"I didn't sneak," Heero replied, sounding a bit put off.

"Fine," Duo muttered. "What?"

Heero gave him a long measured look before motioning with this head to the beach behind him. "I think we attracted some attention when you rushed off earlier."

Duo looked behind his friend to see a couple of people watching them from the beach. One of them was a woman with a green bathing suit and a gaudy hat. She appeared to be tapping her foot impatiently, hands on hips.

"What's the matter with her?" he asked.

Heero frowned slightly and scratched his head, looking confused. "She said I made you cry and that I should come and apologize."

Duo raised his brow and looked at the woman again. She did look awfully scary. "Really?"

"Well…" Heero's frowned deepened. "Actually, she said that we should… kiss and make up."

"Hah?"

Heero sighed. "She is not the first person to make a comment regarding our behavior. Keen made an observation about our lack of ardor just yesterday. We're going to blow our cover if we don't behave differently."

Duo swallowed. "So… we should kiss and er… the rest?"

Heero frowned thoughtfully, and then nodded. "If that is necessary to maintain our cover."

Then Heero took a step closer and wrapped one strong arm around Duo's waist, pulling him gently forward so that Duo was flush up against him. It was hard for Duo to discern Heero's thoughts. The man still had his sunglasses on, but even without them, Heero had always been difficult to read.

"Heero," Duo whispered, barely managing not to swallow his tongue. "I'm gay, I can do the kiss a guy thing, but you… can you pull it off without getting the heebie-jeebies?"

"It shouldn't be difficult," Heero said with his usual I-can-overcome-anything attitude. "Let's find out, shall we?"

"Whoa, Heero, I'm not a mission; you don't just–" But before Duo could finish his sentence, Heero leaned over and covered his lips in one very, very capable kiss. Distantly he heard whistles and catcalls from the people around them, but he couldn't afford to spare them much thought. His brain was already melting with just a firm press of the lips that he had been dreaming of for years.

And then Heero's tongue flicked gently across his lips. Duo's knees buckled and he thought he would certainly float away if Heero didn't have such a firm grip around his waist. Since his brain was pretty much fried, Duo's body functioned on automatic. His arms slipped around Heero's neck and his hands tangled into the thick unruly hair, holding Heero's head close as his lips opened a tad too eagerly, wanting desperately to taste the other man.

And gods, could Heero kiss! Where the hell had he learned to do that with his tongue? And what was that pressing against his hips?

Duo pulled away suddenly and pulled off Heero's sunglasses. He stared into the stormy swirl of cobalt blue, knowing that he had never seen Heero quite like this. "Heero… is that… your…. Are you…?" Shit, his brain really was fried.

Heero cleared his throat and shifted slightly so that his erection was no longer in contact with Duo. "Yes," he said simply.

"Did I do that?" Duo asked in wonder. "Did I make you lose your infamous control?"

"I am capable of losing _some_ control," Heero said, his tone matter of fact.

"Yeah, well, I've seen you lose it, Heero. I just never thought it would be like this."

"You underestimate yourself," Heero said softly, his arm still wrapped loosely around Duo. "I don't think there are many people who wouldn't be affected by that kiss."

"Really?" Duo's heart raced, and he couldn't help the grin that broke across his face. He was that happy... and then reality kicked in. "But wait… don't you like girls?"

Heero shrugged. "They're okay."

"What do you mean 'okay'? And when did you turn gay?"

"I didn't 'turn' gay. I'm pretty sure I've always been this way."

"What?" He couldn't believe this. Heero was interested in guys all along and _he_ didn't know about it? "What about Stacy? You said you dated her."

"I did, but that has nothing to do with this."

Duo blinked at the stoic expression of the man who was sporting a hard-on after simply kissing _him_. Only Heero could pull off something like that.

"How are they not related? You like girls, you went out with at least one girl more than once –that I know of – and yet you like kissing me?"

"This is also not uncommon," Heero said. "8.7% of men ages 18 to 40 consider themselves bisexual."

"8.7%?" Duo was in a daze. How the hell did they end up with this topic?

Heero nodded. "According to the studies done by the Ceres Humanity Group on L3."

Duo looked at him blankly; he'd never heard of this humanity group or their studies. "Why are you reading the statistics on sexuality?"

"It was an article in the Medical and Psychological Journal of New Earth Sphere. I get a monthly subscription."

Of course, what else besides Guns & Ammo would the perfect soldier read?

"So…?" He looked uncertainly at Heero. "You like guys, too?"

This time, Heero looked amused. "I believe that's what bisexual means."

Duo smacked him in the chest. "Smart ass," he complained. "I'm just making sure because for the past 6 years, I thought you were straight. At several points I even thought that you might be asexual – and that's entirely your fault since you've been hiding your dates from me…. Hey! Wait a minute, how many people have you gone out with behind my back?"

"Does it matter?"

"Hell yes, it matters," Duo said. "I wanna know, Yui. I've spent too many years worrying about you!"

"Thank you," Heero said softly. "But I don't think our audience is interested in so much dialogue."

Duo looked around and found more than a few pair of eyes trying to avoid looking at them. He felt his face heating up again.

"I wouldn't be averse to kissing you again," Heero offered stoically, though Duo thought his cheeks were a bit flushed.

"Would you be averse to doing more?" Duo asked, and then cringed at the hope he couldn't hide in his voice. He quickly clamped a hand to his mouth, afraid that more uncensored things might slip out.

Heero regarded him intently for a few moments, and just before Duo could apologize, Heero said, "No, but I'd rather not do them here."

Duo had the urge to pinch himself just to make sure he was awake. This couldn't be happening. Heero kissing him and wanting to do more…? Maybe he should check his pulse; had he died and gone to heaven?

Heero must have read his expression again, for the man smiled and ran a hand down Duo's braid, and then twisted the end around his hand, tugging gently. "Why do you look so shocked?"

For a lack of anything intelligent to say, Duo sputtered, "Because!" Then he grabbed Heero's face and pulled the man forward, kissing him soundly. When he pulled back, he pressed their foreheads together and closed his eyes. "Years, Yui! I've spent years thinking you have no sex drive. I'd given up hope years ago, and then all of a sudden you pulled an _I'm bisexual and I do guys_ card on me and not expect me to be shocked?" He pulled away and gazed into the deep blue of Heero's eyes. "Fuck you, Yui. I'm allowed to freak out if I want to."

Heero tugged on his braid again, his expression softening into something resembling affection. Duo felt like he should freak out some more. Heero with death glares and threats of violence he could handle, but this gentle Heero…?

"Since when?" he asked, not ready to believe that this may be real.

"A while," Heero admitted. "I don't think I was sure until you left Relena's party last Christmas with the son of that senator from New Hope." Heero pulled gently on his braid again. "I wanted to hurt him."

"Yeah?" Duo grinned. "That was also due to that alcohol theory of yours, you know. It was Fei's fault for goading me."

"I know."

"I wanted to leave with you," Duo confessed. "but the pink princess was all over you."

Heero laughed. "She was not. She was distraught because Wu Fei came with a date. And she's into purple now."

"Wu Fei can't stand purple."

"I think that's her motivation," Heero said with a small smile. "I feel sorry for Wu Fei."

Duo grimaced. "Me too, but I don't want to waste our time talking about them. We'll deal with them later."

Heero raised his eyebrows. "Deal with them? Later?"

"Yeah. But we're going to have to get Cathy in on this."

"Cathy? Why?"

Duo shook his head. "Never mind, I'll tell you later. Now, I wanna know what took you so long?"

"I didn't know you were interested," Heero said, pulling him a little bit closer.

"You noticed all my alcohol related fucking hard-ons but you failed to notice that I'm interested in you? That I've been more than interested for years? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Heero frowned. "I wasn't sure; you're always making fun of me and trying to hook me up with girls. Besides, you have so many other… interests."

"That's because I thought you were an asexual moron!" Duo said, his hands moving up to touch Heero's face. "But it turned out that you're just a fucking moron," he added for good measure as he caressed the soft tendrils of Heero's hair. "But I supposed it takes one to know one, huh?"

"I've always thought so." Heero pulled him closer still, until they were pressed tightly together and Duo could feel the insistent hardness of Heero's erection against his hip. He loved it.

"Heero?"

"Yes?"

"Can we go somewhere else now?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

.*.*.

"Hurry up, Yui!" Duo whispered as Heero worked on the lock. "He's not going to let us 'rest' here forever."

"Don't worry," Heero said, not looking up from his task. "He thinks we're having sex, he won't come in just yet."

Duo groaned, recalling the ruse to get them in here. "I cannot believe he fell for it."

"I've got it," Heero muttered as he slipped the latch from the lock. He carefully opened the glass case holding the box that contained the compromising photographs of Relena and fished it out.

Duo joined him, leaning over Heero's shoulder trying to get a good look inside the box. "Come on, Heero, get the pictures out."

"Not much help since we don't have a replacement box. I don't suppose you'd close your eyes?" Heero asked skeptically.

"Not a chance. Move over, Heero." Duo nudged his lover out of the way and lifted the box cover. Inside was a stack of pictures and a small hologram projector the size of a baseball. He looked at Heero, who shrugged as he lifted the projector out of the box.

Sudden laughter from the dining room reminded Duo that they didn't have the leisure to view the pictures. He pouted and sifted through them quickly to look for the right ones. This box was supposed to contain Keen's other collectable photos as well, and they were not authorized to take any but Relena's.

But as he was looking through, he found that none of them contained Relena. Most of them were of Heero and him! What the hell?

"Heero!" He called and shoved the pictures at his lover. "These were taken yesterday on the beach! What the fuck?" Several were, in fact, photos of them kissing in the water. Some even have them going into their bungalow hand in hand.

Heero went over all of them, his frowned deepening with every picture. Suddenly he stopped and held out a particular one. He studied it for a long moment before he looked up and let his gaze fall on Duo.

"What?" Duo wanted to know.

Heero handed him the picture and stood quietly, as if he was waiting for a reaction. Duo stared at the picture of Heero kissing his cheek as he slept on the sofa in one of Quatre's mansions. Duo took in a sharp breath as he realized what was happening. He looked up quickly at Heero, who was now looking around as if he expected the culprit to jump out from behind the curtains.

"I'd try the hologram if I were you," Duo suggested. "It'll be very much like Quatre to do something like that."

Frowning, Heero took out the small projector and pressed the start button.

The wavering image of Quatre and Trowa appeared before them, both smiling much too brightly in Duo's opinion.

"Hello, you two," the image of Quatre greeted them.

"How was your vacation?" the evil clown wanted to know.

"I guess you would know by now that there are no pictures of Relena in compromising situations. I hope you're not too disappointed, Duo?" the holo-Quatre teased.

"Consider this a thank you present from us, Duo, for your help in setting us up," holo-Trowa informed him. "And we haven't forgotten about Cathy, in case you think we're leaving her out. She should get hers anytime now."

Duo shuddered. Trowa could be so scary….

"As for Heero, I thought you could use a little… nudge. I took that picture two months ago, do you remember? I was so tempted to give it to Duo since he's been pining for you for years, but Trowa thought this would be much more interesting." The little blond imp laughed and cuddled against Trowa. "I think he's right, don't you?"

"Oh, and don't hurt Keen," Trowa added. "He just wanted to help."

"Anyway, we hope that everything turned out well for both of you," Quatre said. "You love each other so much; open your eyes and stop being so stubborn. Be happy?"

With a last wave of their hands, the images of Trowa and Quatre vanished, leaving Duo and Heero to stare at the empty space where they had been.

"Well, that little brat." Duo laughed. "I don't know if I want to hug him or kill him."

Heero came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Duo's waist. He rested his chin on Duo's shoulder and kissed the side of his neck tenderly. Duo melted.

"Since he's responsible for this," Heero paused, pressing up against Duo's back. "Let's not kill him just yet."

"Alright… maybe just this once," Duo agreed and turned his head to get a kiss from his lover. He liked that word… lover. He sighed and snuggled back against Heero. Quatre was right; it was time for them to be happy.

"Most of the time I hate it when he's right," Duo complained. "He gets so smug about it." He moved out of Heero's arm and grasped on to his hand. "But this time I'm glad."

Heero smiled. "Me too. I love you."

As cliché as it sounded, Duo's heart skipped a beat. "I love you first," he countered. "Take me home, Heero, and make love to me."

Heero nodded, his eyes gleaming. "Mission accepted."


End file.
